If you told someone five years ago that Megan Thee Stallion and Nickelback would team up for a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos music video, they’d probably assume you were deep into a fever dream.
But here we are — and honestly, it’s kind of perfect.
Frito-Lay is bringing back Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle flavored snacks and dropping a brand-new Cheetos Flamin’ Hot Dill Pickle Puffs variety.
To celebrate, the PepsiCo unit enlisted two of the most unexpected collaborators imaginable for a music video that’s already turning heads across the internet.
A Megan Thee Stallion Collab Nobody Saw Coming
The music video, called “Pickle’s Back,” is a full-on remake of Nickelback’s 2001 hit “How You Remind Me” — yes, that song — with new lyrics.
The video, which features a high-tech heist, a high-speed truck chase and a large explosion of Cheetos dust, was released on YouTube on March 26. Both a full-length version and shorter cutdowns of the video were produced.
The pairing was intentionally offbeat, which made both Megan Thee Stallion and Nickelback quick to agree, according to Chris Bellinger, chief creative officer at PepsiCo Foods U.S., who spoke with Variety about the ad.
Nickelback ultimately took over writing duties — with input from Megan Thee Stallion — after Frito-Lay staff first attempted their own parody version.
“I feel like growing up listening to a song like ‘How You Remind Me,’ it’s just in your brain,” Megan Thee Stallion said in an interview with Billboard.
“You hear it on the radio all the time, you hear it in TV shows, you just know the song. You know the words, without ever having really learned the words. I feel like it’s just very nostalgic,” she added.
Megan Thee Stallion Was Made for This Moment
Here’s what makes this collaboration feel less like a corporate cash grab and more like an actual match: Megan Thee Stallion is a genuine fan of the product.
Some fans might remember when she was publicly spotted combining Flamin’ Hot Cheetos with actual pickles — well before any brand deal was ever on the table.
“Everybody knows that I love pickles. Everybody knows that I love Flamin’ Hot Cheetos,” Megan Thee Stallion said in an interview with Delish.
“And I feel like it was very obvious to come get me to be the face of this launch, because, yeah, I was gonna eat this anyway,” she added.
But she didn’t stop there. Megan dropped her own recipe that’s absolutely going to end up on your TikTok feed if it hasn’t already.
“You use the pickle as the bread, and then you put pepper jack cheese on the inside, and then you put the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on the inside of that, and eat it like a little sandwich,” she said of her concoction.
“And if you really want to get crazy, put a little tahini on it,” she added.
The ‘Polarizing’ Hot Cheetos Flavor Is Officially Back
If you missed the original spicy dill-pickle Cheetos, you weren’t alone — and you probably paid for it. The original flavor was first introduced as a limited-edition release in February of last year, and the run sold out quickly.
Packages were even being resold on eBay for $60. The revival should be welcome news for anyone who refused to pay resale prices on a bag of chips.
The goal of the ad, according to Bellinger, is not to get you to buy the Cheetos, “but to go online and search for the full song, because we want this to become an earworm.”
He described the Cheetos flavor as “polarizing” with a “spicy element” and “salty safety of the dill pickle.”
The company’s goal is for consumers to share the video with friends organically. Mission potentially accomplished — because you’re probably already sending this to someone.
